MIAMI, FL - 7/25/10 - Tropical Storm Bonnie cut racing short at the 2010 Leiter Cup - US SAILING's Junior Women's Singlehanded Championship - but not before the race committee was able to get off eight races in just two days.  The conditions were ideal for the 46-boat Laser Radial fleet with temperatures in the 80s and winds above 15 knots for the entire event.  EYC's Page McManus met her personal goal by finishing 15th overall - a marked improvement over her two 37th place finishes in previous Leiter Cup Regattas.

"I wish I had started the regatta the way I ended it," commented Page.  Indeed, Page finished strong with two top tens in the final races, having posted a Z-flag penalty and her throwout in the first race of the regatta.  "But I reached my goal of top 15 and I know what I could have done better.  My goal for next year is top 5."  Page stepped up her training after last year's Leiter Cup, sailing year-round including "off-season" training with the FAST program in Newport, RI.  Page's competitors recognized her improvement, nominating her for the event's Most Improved award.

This was the first Leiter Cup for Sophie Naughton, who took 39th overall.  One of the youngest sailors at the regatta, Sophie found the conditions tiring and had to work hard for every point. "It was really windy for me," she commented after EYC's Tuesday Night Laser racing this week, where Sophie is a regular participant - putting in a 6-hour sailing day with racing following her Pleon practice session.